The AVATAR™ helmet is lightweight. Damn light. In fact, the only thing more interesting than its lightweight is how strong it is.

Utilizing patented COMPOSITE FUSION™ in-molding technology for a perfect shell/liner connection, this full face helmet also features a revolutionary mix of fiberglass in its shell materials. These materials form perfectly into a skeleton of expanded protection allowing the overall use of softer EPS foam. What’s it all mean? Light, Strong and Super Shock Absorbing!

Kali

Kali Protectives is designed for riders who demand exceptional performance and uncompromising comfort. Kali Protectives came from a significant breakthrough in helmet safety technology, enabling them to use a thinner shell creating a lighter and stronger helmet. No safety technology exists that can completely prevent injury, but they can significantly reduce the chance of trauma. Their goal is to deliver the absolute best available protection to riders.

To get your size measure your head about 25mm above your eyebrows and ears. Use a cloth measuring tape or else use a piece of string, then measure with ruler or tape measure.

See picture above.

Q.What if I get the size wrong?

A. No problems, simply return the helmet (unused in original packaging) and we shall ship you the correct size at no extra cost!

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Kali Avatar Full Face Helmet Reviews

DIRTZ.com.au

July 8 2012

Here at Dirtz we are normally doing critiques and designs for BMX race tracks, Jump Parks or MTB tracks. So it was a little left of centre when we were given Kali full face helmet to review. All I know about Kali helmets is that are pretty big in Europe with Downhillers and 4Xers but really haven’t cracked it in the Aussie offroad cycling market as yet. Being we build design and build pretty much every type of offroad facility there is, I suppose it makes sense to send us a helmet.

First Impressions So the Kali Avatar helmet arrives in the post, all boxed up. I’ve been keen to see if this helmet lives up to the hype I have heard about them overseas. It has a nice felt lined, soft helmet bag protecting it and I see an additional set of different thickness cheek liners (…nice touch). There's no zip up helmet bag like you get with a D3 but we are also batting at less than half the comparitive price here, so that’s fine

The Helmet presents very nicely. The finish is flawless and the graphics are funky but not too overstated. It must be alright, because my wife takes specific attention (something she seldom does with bike gear ) and makes the comment “ That’s nice, it looks trendy but still grown up. “ Alright I wouldn’t have come up with that, but it’s a good way to describe the look of the helmet.

The first major thing that hits you when you pick this helmet up is …” Damn how frickin light is this thing. “ Seriously, read the numbers, do the internet comparison thing, whatever, this is the lightest high end helmet I have ever tried. We dragged a D2 carbon out ( a trophy one that has since been cracked courtesy of it and I hitting the ground in an unplanned incident ). It was lighter than the D2 carbon ! Impressive.

The inside of the helmet is totally removable, something that anyone who rides a lot will no doubt consider mandatory. It is etched with trendy looking black and white ‘Kali’ logos all different sizes. It appears on the lighter, more minimal side of helmet padding (I would say similar to a THE helmet) however when I put it on feels comfortable enough. I replaced the cheek pad with the provided thicker cheek pads and the helmet feels even better. This is of course going to be a size and shape of your head thing, but it felt good… Did I mention this helmet is frickin light!?!

The straps are the standard ‘Double D’ type, with the addition of a little plastic stud to take care of any excess strap. It’s simple and works every time. Quick release buckles are fine but I have seen them come undone in crashes and frankly it wasn’t pretty.

Time to ride We head down to our local BMX track for weekend club racing, I have teed up a couple of the older racers to also take part in a trial of the Kali, Avatar helmet.

First lap, vision is really good, the peak is there but not in your way. Fit is still good, it’s not moving around on my head and the straps are staying where I put them. This helmet is sooooooo frickin light. One of the other riders goes for a lap, he comes back with one comment “ You hardly know your wearing it !! “

The other rider takes the Kali for a few races. Fortunately our boof heads are are all the same size. He would normally ride a THE Carbon. The comment from him is “ Sorry I don’t want to give it back. “

I ask “ Is there anything you don’t like about it ?” The reply from both riders is “ How much is it?” I said, “ I think is around $250 or something like that “ (actually $239 at the moment) Both say, “ You’ve got to be kidding.”

It appears there is nothing they didn’t like about the helmet and for that price even less than nothing… if that’s possible.

We were going to do a crash test but nobody would volunteer. Although the helmet looked that nice and worked that well, nobody wanted to crash it anyway.

I don’t know what to say here, normally there would be something we would not like about a product. But in this case we really can’t find it. Maybe if you don’t like the design that could be it...but I liked the Avatar ‘Sound’ graphics. Hopefully the new model of the helmet looks as good, since performance appears not to be an issue.

5 stars *****If you want a helmet…go buy one of these you won’t regret it. Especially if you are buying for a younger rider as the minimal weight of these helmets is perfect for young BMXers and for this money all you would get otherwise in carbon helmets is something that somebody else has already dropped.

Alpine Gravity Shuttles

Benny Watkins 20 June 2012

AVATAR FULL FACE HELMET

"I really wasnt sure on this helmet. Alot of helmets have come and gone in Australia over the years. Cheap crappy looking helmets of all shapes and types came through all the bike shops I worked in, and I saw rep after rep try and convince me to stock and sell their "new" full face helmet, often trying to sweeten the deal with a helmet I wouldnt wear. When I saw the web images of the Avatar, I did wonder if this was going to be another one.

When I pulled the Avatar out of the box, I was wrong. "IT LOOKS COOL" I thought to myself, quietly surprised that it looks alot better in person than the one pic id seen on the web. This I guess brings me to my first point, CHANGE THE PICTURES BEING USED TO SELL THIS HELMET. I dont think they do the helmet justice at all. The shape IS different, but its not like alot of helmets that come and go. I especially like the back of the helmet and the shape, it looks slick and very "race like".

The graphics look great. Giro tried some similar graphics a few years ago but they didnt look very good, but these graphics look good, and they are not just for kids. They look slick and modern. The Troy Lee Designs helmets have some great artwork, and these graphics reminded me of some of those helmets (I used to work for the aussie troy lee distributor so I saw alot of them). So I guess thats a compliment in a way.

The only thing that struck me as different with this helmet, was the PEAK and the very TOP of the helmet shape. Alot of helmets have a peak that kinda "moulds" or "blends in" with the shape, but this peak is very flat along the front and seems kinda "abrupt" to me. The front bit that actually protects your face also seems longer than alot of helmets. Not sure if it is, but ive got a shed full of helmets of all types so I might compare it just to see if its the colors, or the actual shape giving me that impression.

When I slipped the helmet on, I was stoked at how comfy it is. My last DH helmet SUCKED for comfort, but it was the only size that fitted me in the shop I was in, and i was on a downhill road trip across BC Canada and didnt wanna miss a single run. So putting the Avatar on, the fit was great for my smaller head, and having the sizing pads to customise the fit some more was even better. Thats a major selling point of the Kali helmets, sizing within each size. If a shop had say small, medium and larges IN STOCK, itd be hard NOT to get a helmet that fits so well. A mate of mine who worked in the Whistler high end rental store was with me at my last event, and he said "We had trouble fitting Kali helmets to rental customers", so I asked if they tried changing the pads. His response was "na, never" so I guess he answered his own question/statement. So now the final test, actually riding in it.

Having been around the downhill scene in Australia for around 13 years, ive got to know alot of people, so when i jumped in the back of the shuttle vehicle to head to the top of the mountain with everyone to punch out runs, a few people said "hey, new helmet? give us a look". The next comment was always "wow, thats SUPER LIGHT". The following question was "how much, probly 300 bucks?" and when I said it retails for $200 here, there was a few surprised people in the back of that four wheel drive.

When I put the helmet on at the top of the mountain for the first run, straight away i noticed how roomy the goggle port is. Some helmets ive had you gotta actually STUFF your goggles into the helmet and squeeze them in, but then they dont sit well against your face, which is shit for dust (especially in Australia) and mud. The Avatar fitted both my Spy goggles running a tinted lense, AND my Oakley MOTO goggles running a clear lense. I was wrapped by this, as it was a cold day, and because of the air flow around the goggle frame, they didnt fog up ONCE all day. First time in YEARS I havent had to wipe the inside of my goggles each run.

I also love the metal D rings for doing up the helmet. I know it isnt gonna come undone if i have a massive crash, and that gives me confidence as ive destroyed some helmets (and myself) over the years and I dont wanna be thinking about that stuff when im actually riding. So i did thirty something runs in two days in the Avatar. When I was riding, it felt light, but it also felt like it wasnt there, like I didnt notice it, so it didnt feel clumsy or heavy, and there was no "getting used to it" so overall I am very impressed with it. Alot of people tried it on and liked it, so I think the helmet is a winner, and I hardly got a sweaty head doing 15-16 runs each day (and im not slow).

Negatives? Those same metal D rings I love made it hard to get off with gloves on. My last helmet was uncomfy, but I could get it off easy. The only other thing people commented on was the "egg like" shape of the very top of the helmet, and the peak, but they are personal opinion. I think Giro, Troy Lee and Bell have got that square shape kinda going on at the moment and I guess that is the current trend/fashion, so some people thought the shape was strange, and some didnt like the peak. Some did love it too though. Wearing it though, you dont notice those things, but convincing a troy lee owner for example to change brands would be hard I think.

Im sure theres some other details about these helmets ill notice, and with more rides ill give ya some more feedback, but thats my initial impressions of both, and im pretty impressed ."

"So many times when looking at a company’s claim I ask myself “Is this real or is this just salesman speak?”. I certainly can’t make up your mind for you, but I can tell you about our patented technology and why we are excited about it.

A helmet has two essential elements that help protect you: a shell and energy absorbing foam. These two components are built to dissipate the energies of an impact to your head. The shell is the hard outer surface of a helmet and has 3 functions. First, it prevents sharp object penetration. Second, it protects the energy absorbing foam from abrasion. Lastly, it spreads out the force of an impact over a greater area.

As the second component of the puzzle, the energy absorbing foam is the inner muscle of a helmet and the more active component of the two. It does the bulk of the work, cushioning and redirecting the G-forces of any impact that tries to work its way towards your head.

Standard helmet technology constructs the shell (made from various composite materials) and the energy absorbing foam composite (Expanded PolyStyrene or EPS) as two separate pieces. Simply shooting small beads into a mold makes the EPS foam. The beads are then steamed, expanded and bound into the “generic” shape of the exterior shell. This “shaped” EPS form is then pulled from the mold and allowed to dry, and then inserted into the shell by hand (being spot glued or taped into place inside).

This means that during an impact to the head, there will actually be a microsecond of ‘air’ as the energy is transferred between one protective material (the shell) and the next (the EPS foam). The result of this separate-but-glued-construction is a less efficient transfer of energy when a helmet is impacted.

Another unfortunate consequence of standard helmet construction is that over time the glue joints may wear down, which leaves users with EPS foam that is loose inside the shell. In addition to being uncomfortable, it can also be potentially dangerous, as the EPS foam may not stay in its intended position during an impact."

Brad Waldron, Head Engineer and Founder of Kali briefly explains the technology behind their full face helmets.

The AVATAR™ helmet is lightweight. Damn light. In fact, the only thing more interesting than its lightweight is how strong it is.

Utilizing patented COMPOSITE FUSION™ in-molding technology for a perfect shell/liner connection, this full face helmet also features a revolutionary mix of fiberglass in its shell materials. These materials form perfectly into a skeleton of expanded protection allowing the overall use of softer EPS foam. What’s it all mean? Light, Strong and Super Shock Absorbing!

How do you rate this product? *

Here at Dirtz we are normally doing critiques and designs for BMX race tracks, Jump Parks or MTB tracks. So it was a little left of centre when we were given Kali full face helmet to review. All I know about Kali helmets is that are pretty big in Europe with Downhillers and 4Xers but really haven’t cracked it in the Aussie offroad cycling market as yet. Being we build design and build pretty much every type of offroad facility there is, I suppose it makes sense to send us a helmet.

First Impressions So the Kali Avatar helmet arrives in the post, all boxed up. I’ve been keen to see if this helmet lives up to the hype I have heard about them overseas. It has a nice felt lined, soft helmet bag protecting it and I see an additional set of different thickness cheek liners (…nice touch). There's no zip up helmet bag like you get with a D3 but we are also batting at less than half the comparitive price here, so that’s fine

The Helmet presents very nicely. The finish is flawless and the graphics are funky but not too overstated. It must be alright, because my wife takes specific attention (something she seldom does with bike gear ) and makes the comment “ That’s nice, it looks trendy but still grown up. “ Alright I wouldn’t have come up with that, but it’s a good way to describe the look of the helmet.

The first major thing that hits you when you pick this helmet up is …” Damn how frickin light is this thing. “ Seriously, read the numbers, do the internet comparison thing, whatever, this is the lightest high end helmet I have ever tried. We dragged a D2 carbon out ( a trophy one that has since been cracked courtesy of it and I hitting the ground in an unplanned incident ). It was lighter than the D2 carbon ! Impressive.

The inside of the helmet is totally removable, something that anyone who rides a lot will no doubt consider mandatory. It is etched with trendy looking black and white ‘Kali’ logos all different sizes. It appears on the lighter, more minimal side of helmet padding (I would say similar to a THE helmet) however when I put it on feels comfortable enough. I replaced the cheek pad with the provided thicker cheek pads and the helmet feels even better. This is of course going to be a size and shape of your head thing, but it felt good… Did I mention this helmet is frickin light!?!

The straps are the standard ‘Double D’ type, with the addition of a little plastic stud to take care of any excess strap. It’s simple and works every time. Quick release buckles are fine but I have seen them come undone in crashes and frankly it wasn’t pretty.

Time to ride We head down to our local BMX track for weekend club racing, I have teed up a couple of the older racers to also take part in a trial of the Kali, Avatar helmet.

First lap, vision is really good, the peak is there but not in your way. Fit is still good, it’s not moving around on my head and the straps are staying where I put them. This helmet is sooooooo frickin light. One of the other riders goes for a lap, he comes back with one comment “ You hardly know your wearing it !! “

The other rider takes the Kali for a few races. Fortunately our boof heads are are all the same size. He would normally ride a THE Carbon. The comment from him is “ Sorry I don’t want to give it back. “

I ask “ Is there anything you don’t like about it ?” The reply from both riders is “ How much is it?” I said, “ I think is around $250 or something like that “ (actually $239 at the moment) Both say, “ You’ve got to be kidding.”

It appears there is nothing they didn’t like about the helmet and for that price even less than nothing… if that’s possible.

We were going to do a crash test but nobody would volunteer. Although the helmet looked that nice and worked that well, nobody wanted to crash it anyway.

I don’t know what to say here, normally there would be something we would not like about a product. But in this case we really can’t find it. Maybe if you don’t like the design that could be it...but I liked the Avatar ‘Sound’ graphics. Hopefully the new model of the helmet looks as good, since performance appears not to be an issue.

5 stars *****If you want a helmet…go buy one of these you won’t regret it. Especially if you are buying for a younger rider as the minimal weight of these helmets is perfect for young BMXers and for this money all you would get otherwise in carbon helmets is something that somebody else has already dropped.

Alpine Gravity Shuttles

Benny Watkins 20 June 2012

AVATAR FULL FACE HELMET

"I really wasnt sure on this helmet. Alot of helmets have come and gone in Australia over the years. Cheap crappy looking helmets of all shapes and types came through all the bike shops I worked in, and I saw rep after rep try and convince me to stock and sell their "new" full face helmet, often trying to sweeten the deal with a helmet I wouldnt wear. When I saw the web images of the Avatar, I did wonder if this was going to be another one.

When I pulled the Avatar out of the box, I was wrong. "IT LOOKS COOL" I thought to myself, quietly surprised that it looks alot better in person than the one pic id seen on the web. This I guess brings me to my first point, CHANGE THE PICTURES BEING USED TO SELL THIS HELMET. I dont think they do the helmet justice at all. The shape IS different, but its not like alot of helmets that come and go. I especially like the back of the helmet and the shape, it looks slick and very "race like".

The graphics look great. Giro tried some similar graphics a few years ago but they didnt look very good, but these graphics look good, and they are not just for kids. They look slick and modern. The Troy Lee Designs helmets have some great artwork, and these graphics reminded me of some of those helmets (I used to work for the aussie troy lee distributor so I saw alot of them). So I guess thats a compliment in a way.

The only thing that struck me as different with this helmet, was the PEAK and the very TOP of the helmet shape. Alot of helmets have a peak that kinda "moulds" or "blends in" with the shape, but this peak is very flat along the front and seems kinda "abrupt" to me. The front bit that actually protects your face also seems longer than alot of helmets. Not sure if it is, but ive got a shed full of helmets of all types so I might compare it just to see if its the colors, or the actual shape giving me that impression.

When I slipped the helmet on, I was stoked at how comfy it is. My last DH helmet SUCKED for comfort, but it was the only size that fitted me in the shop I was in, and i was on a downhill road trip across BC Canada and didnt wanna miss a single run. So putting the Avatar on, the fit was great for my smaller head, and having the sizing pads to customise the fit some more was even better. Thats a major selling point of the Kali helmets, sizing within each size. If a shop had say small, medium and larges IN STOCK, itd be hard NOT to get a helmet that fits so well. A mate of mine who worked in the Whistler high end rental store was with me at my last event, and he said "We had trouble fitting Kali helmets to rental customers", so I asked if they tried changing the pads. His response was "na, never" so I guess he answered his own question/statement. So now the final test, actually riding in it.

Having been around the downhill scene in Australia for around 13 years, ive got to know alot of people, so when i jumped in the back of the shuttle vehicle to head to the top of the mountain with everyone to punch out runs, a few people said "hey, new helmet? give us a look". The next comment was always "wow, thats SUPER LIGHT". The following question was "how much, probly 300 bucks?" and when I said it retails for $200 here, there was a few surprised people in the back of that four wheel drive.

When I put the helmet on at the top of the mountain for the first run, straight away i noticed how roomy the goggle port is. Some helmets ive had you gotta actually STUFF your goggles into the helmet and squeeze them in, but then they dont sit well against your face, which is shit for dust (especially in Australia) and mud. The Avatar fitted both my Spy goggles running a tinted lense, AND my Oakley MOTO goggles running a clear lense. I was wrapped by this, as it was a cold day, and because of the air flow around the goggle frame, they didnt fog up ONCE all day. First time in YEARS I havent had to wipe the inside of my goggles each run.

I also love the metal D rings for doing up the helmet. I know it isnt gonna come undone if i have a massive crash, and that gives me confidence as ive destroyed some helmets (and myself) over the years and I dont wanna be thinking about that stuff when im actually riding. So i did thirty something runs in two days in the Avatar. When I was riding, it felt light, but it also felt like it wasnt there, like I didnt notice it, so it didnt feel clumsy or heavy, and there was no "getting used to it" so overall I am very impressed with it. Alot of people tried it on and liked it, so I think the helmet is a winner, and I hardly got a sweaty head doing 15-16 runs each day (and im not slow).

Negatives? Those same metal D rings I love made it hard to get off with gloves on. My last helmet was uncomfy, but I could get it off easy. The only other thing people commented on was the "egg like" shape of the very top of the helmet, and the peak, but they are personal opinion. I think Giro, Troy Lee and Bell have got that square shape kinda going on at the moment and I guess that is the current trend/fashion, so some people thought the shape was strange, and some didnt like the peak. Some did love it too though. Wearing it though, you dont notice those things, but convincing a troy lee owner for example to change brands would be hard I think.

Im sure theres some other details about these helmets ill notice, and with more rides ill give ya some more feedback, but thats my initial impressions of both, and im pretty impressed ."

"So many times when looking at a company’s claim I ask myself “Is this real or is this just salesman speak?”. I certainly can’t make up your mind for you, but I can tell you about our patented technology and why we are excited about it.

A helmet has two essential elements that help protect you: a shell and energy absorbing foam. These two components are built to dissipate the energies of an impact to your head. The shell is the hard outer surface of a helmet and has 3 functions. First, it prevents sharp object penetration. Second, it protects the energy absorbing foam from abrasion. Lastly, it spreads out the force of an impact over a greater area.

As the second component of the puzzle, the energy absorbing foam is the inner muscle of a helmet and the more active component of the two. It does the bulk of the work, cushioning and redirecting the G-forces of any impact that tries to work its way towards your head.

Standard helmet technology constructs the shell (made from various composite materials) and the energy absorbing foam composite (Expanded PolyStyrene or EPS) as two separate pieces. Simply shooting small beads into a mold makes the EPS foam. The beads are then steamed, expanded and bound into the “generic” shape of the exterior shell. This “shaped” EPS form is then pulled from the mold and allowed to dry, and then inserted into the shell by hand (being spot glued or taped into place inside).

This means that during an impact to the head, there will actually be a microsecond of ‘air’ as the energy is transferred between one protective material (the shell) and the next (the EPS foam). The result of this separate-but-glued-construction is a less efficient transfer of energy when a helmet is impacted.

Another unfortunate consequence of standard helmet construction is that over time the glue joints may wear down, which leaves users with EPS foam that is loose inside the shell. In addition to being uncomfortable, it can also be potentially dangerous, as the EPS foam may not stay in its intended position during an impact."